Photo Flash: FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS at Walkerspace

Less Than Rent Theatre presents the world premiere of James Presson's FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS - a new play which blends the artificially comical world of a sitcom with the soul of Henrik Ibsen's classic HEDDA GABLER.

After four years on a hit sitcom, starlet Laura Burns is at the end of her rope. Unimpressed by the whirlwind of fame and consumed by existential notions, she longs for an escape from the artificiality of her laugh-track life. But as the lines between her off-screen friendships and her on-screen ones blur, Laura must face the terrifying possibility that this might be the only reality in which she can exist. FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS blends the melodrama of Henrik Ibsen's HEDDA GABLER with the silliness of network television and bears witness to a public nervous breakdown with built in commercial breaks.

Directed by Rachel Buethe, the cast of FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS will feature Ashlynn Alexander, Cory Asinofsky, Becca Ballenger, Emma March Barash, Leslie Gauthier, Tommy Hettrick, Will Turner and Jason Zeren.

The Design team for FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS is: Caite Hevner (set design), Amanda Brooklyn (costume design), Ryan Seelig (lighting design), Gifford Williams (sound design) and Lindsey Alexander (production stage manager).

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS marks the third collaboration between Less Than Rent Theatre and playwright James Presson, having previously produced his plays LITTLE TOWN BLUES, a modern take on Chekov's THREE SISTERS, and RICHARD 3, an adaptation of Shakespeare's RICHARD III. Other works recently produced by Less Than Rent Theatre include: COW PLAY and THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

Less Than Rent Theatre revels in the joyful, persistent exploration of the purely theatrical, of visceral and innovative work that can only exist within the ephemeral union between artist and audience. We seek to encourage the collaborative core of theatre, connecting actors, directors, designers, playwrights, and dramatists through the pursuit of work that embraces its aliveness. Our work is sprung from the collision of enduring stories with the rapidly shifting world of today. We aim to navigate the complexities of our own generation by exploring the vast canons of the past in new and imaginative ways.

Performances of FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS will run December 2 through December 18 with a Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 2:00pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm schedule. Tickets for FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS will be $18 and can be purchased online at www.lessthanrent.org.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski.